Introductory poem to the gatha inspired poetry

Copyright: @2013 Ardeshir Farahmand. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Bounteous, full of goodness; (been) the spirit/mind, voice/words, endeavors

Of excellent, virtuous Zarathushtra

First and foremost through the “auspicious, splendid immortals;” grasp, understand the sacred verse/gathas

Regards to you brilliant songs/gathas

ýáním manö, ýáním vačö, ýáním shyaöthanem

Yán mínishnö, ud yán göbishnö, ud yán künishnö

Bounteous, full of goodness; (been) the spirit/mind, voice/words, endeavors

Ýáním from ýán; “yield, gain, bounty, abundance”

Manö; “mind, spirit, intention, passion”

Vačö; “voice, word, speech”

Shyaöthanem from shyaö; “to come to pass, action, endeavor,” Old English scēon, Old Frisian schia, German geschehen, schehen: Farsi shodan comes from the same root.

Of excellent, virtuous Zarathushtra (his spirit/mind or intention, his speech and action been always in forward progress, delightful and remarkable)

Ashaónö from asha/arta; “excellent, virtuous, luminous” It is the same as Greek arête and aristos. The word gives the sense of “the best that can be” or the notion of “becoming ever better and better.” The ancient commentary translates it as ashö or aharübö, “excellent, of ahuric virtues.” Early Western Scholars have translated ashö erroneously as “holy,” of course not in its original pre-christian sense of “healthy, vibrant;” but holy as “consecrated, set apart, wholly other.” In the original; ashaónö means only “excellent, virtuous, luminous, ahuric, brilliant.”

ferá ameshá speñtá gátháv géurváin

Fráz ameshö-spendánö gásánö girift, [kü pah sti fráz dáshtö]

First and foremost through the “auspicious, splendid immortals;” grasp, understand the sacred verse/gathas

Ferá; “first, foremost, forefront”

Ameshá or amertá; “immortal, deathless, indestructible”

Speñtá; “auspicious, splendid, bright” Lithuanian šventas, Proto-Baltic-Slavic swęntŭs, Old Prussian swentas; the Ancient Commentaries translate Speñtá as fzünik. Middle Persian fzünik comes from Avestan fshü. Compare with the rune fehu, the rune of prosperity. It has the exact same meaning in Middle Persian “prosperous, of good fortune, flourishing.”

The introductory verse is a short but profound verse. It has a poetic style like that of haptan or the seven chapters. It points out that the genuine understanding and grasp of the poetic gathas is through “the auspicious, splendid immortals” the self manifestations or aspects of the brilliant thoughts of mazda. Hence, the gathas in each of their inspired verses are a reflection on mazda’s genial mind/spirit, a display of ahuric virtues, formulas and powers, and a bringing out of divine possibilities to become godlike.